#happy hunter but sad philip

[elleniemae]

Still drowning in the artiest of blocks but hey, at least I can doodle.

MAN I hate Belos but THIS right here is FREAKING PEAK character design, I’ve always really really loved possessed!Hunter’s look. Drawing him is always SO FREAKING FUN

[chocochipjewel]

Yapping about Belos and his ending excessively while also analysing him to the best of my ability under the cut

So given how much art of him I've reblogged by now, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that Belos is my favourite character from the Owl House.

I could talk about him for HOURSS but I just want to talk about 2 of my favourite moments of him to highlight the parts of him I love the most.

This moment in Hollow Mind, when he gets the key in his hand and you can see the light in his eyes. It's the only time his eyes have the distinct shine in them like every other character has all the time, and it's cause of the key he's holding. The key to the human realm is the only thing that gives him that shine cause it's the only thing he genuinely cares about. Everything he's doing is to go back home and revel in glory, which, while selfish, adds so much to his character. He's not doing this JUST for power, he became an Emperor just to tear his own creations down. I just find something extremely poetic about that.

And the second moment -

THIS MOMENT. THIS MOMENT IN KING'S TIDE AJDHSJSHSJS

I'm still mad these flashbacks were never brought up in any big way cause THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE BUT AHSKSJS I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.

Belos reliving his worst memories was always a concept that was going to be interesting because it's an insight into what really gets into the head of our main antagonist. What does the guy who is everyone else's worst fear have to fear. And the answer is himself.

The 3 memories he sees are him approaching Caleb with the knife, the actual murder as pictured above, and the creation of the grimwalkers.

What really gets me is that his eyes are wide when he recalls the first memory, but they look smaller in the second memory (in the screenshot). Maybe it's just the angle but I always interpreted it as his expression shifting to be one of genuine sadness for this particular memory. Because the mere fact that his most personal crime is also his worst memory is such an interesting concept. How does he live with that sort of guilt and worse, keep doing those same crimes but WORSE?

All of Hollow Mind could just be here really and I wouldn't complain. It's THE episode for Belos fans that really allowed us to dig into him, and the mere fact that he's consciously scratched off Caleb from all the happy memories as if to justify his own fratricide is a level of desperate coping that I just find so very interesting ajdjhsjjs

Not to mention that his inner self is a child, which, while a pretence by him, could still say something about how in his head, he still has not grown up and is still playing pretend, still playing witch hunter with every version of Caleb he creates, still playing god to finally achieve a fantasy so very childish and so frankly basic that it makes anyone watching from the outside think "wait, that's it? That's all this is for?" AND THAT'S THE POINT

Cause none of this needed to happen. None of this has a greater value than Philip trying to chase after lost dreams. All the plans he made, all his great power and his great empire amounts to nothing because he himself plans to destroy all of it to chase that childhood dream. Just like Luz, he entered the Boiling Isles to find a home, only his home was Caleb and he was never willing to love new things in the Isles, while Luz loved so much she literally changed the lives of everyone she met by loving them. And unlike Luz, Philip never grew out of that mindset, only burying it in layers and layers of lies and half truths.

In general, his relationship with Caleb is for sure the most interesting part of his character to me. The fact that he both repeatedly murders and repeatedly creates new grimwalkers in an endless cycle and then hallucinates Caleb looking at him with disdain implies so much about his dependancy on Caleb and the deepest parts of himself that know what he's doing is wrong. The parts that have broken free from the layers and layers of cognitive dissonance and have accepted that he was wrong, without any more justifications.

And now, to 'briefly' rant about him in season 3

Thanks to Them was juicy for character exploration, but I wish we actually got to see him react to the human realm properly. It's everything he's wanted, it's the one thing that still brings light into his life but the world he returned to would absolutely hate him. He's done all this for nothing. I wanted so badly to see how he copes with his guilt then, but they were short on time so I get it.

For the Future's hallucination scene makes this even more interesting cause of the depiction of him actually seriously suffering from something like hallucinations. It was dark as hell, and it was really interesting.

And then... WaD. All in all, a great finale. The only real big problem I had with it was Belos' ending.

After so much buildup to his depth and his motivations and his guilt and all his lies slowly collapsing around him, after everything he did to so many people, he deserved a better death. I don't think he didn't deserve death, I just think it happened too quick. Where was the final cathartsis from all his victims shunning him (Luz staring was perfect don't get me wrong, but the whole Hexsquad deserved to be there). Where was the moment he would finally no longer be able to lie to himself and he would be forced to accept that he did EVERYTHING he did, made all those great sacrifices, tortured so many people, just to fail and be at his victims' mercy after accomplishing nothing?

I understand the finale was juggling many MANY characters and plotpoints, but that's not stopping me from wishing for a better ending.

I wish I had had the motivation to draw something for this like I'd hoped, but a brief description about what kind of ending I'd have wanted will have to do.

I wish Luz saw his memories in the place in between with Papa Titan. It would reinforce her arc of feeling like they come from the same place too, if she saw Caleb leaving Philip and Philip's original goal of just wanting to get his brother back. I wish Luz saw all his "sad" memories and really started to question herself.

And then I would have wanted Papa Titan to shoot that down regardless, and then explain that while Belos may have started out a victim of his circumstances as an orphaned child in a cult, the Isles gave him chances to change. Memories of Philip in the Isles seeing Caleb happy, being given chances by witches, being given so many chances to change, and rejecting them accompanying this scene would be ideal. Really hammer in that he aas responsible for his own suffering and that he has absolutely no excuse for what he did to all his victims.

And then, in the final death scene, as he claims that as humans they are better than witches one last time, I wish the ghosts of all his victims showed up to prove him wrong. Every witch and grimwalker who choose to be better than him before they fell. Every member of the Hexsquad who believed in him and his regime at one point. Every single one of them a reminder of how his lies can't even convince himself anymore.

And finally, his own brother, a fellow human, who appears before him. I imagine Caleb looking at him with pity, almost sympathy, before a quiet acceptance comes onto his face and he turns away from him. He walks towards the crowd and chooses their side, next to Evelyn. Neither Caleb nor Luz say a single word. There is nothing left to be said to him anymore. Every single person on the Isles, human or witch, has turned against him now.

If anything could break his will, I think this would be it. I imagine him phasing through his different forms, trying to find a way to justify himself in each one, gradually desolving into desparate screams, before the boiling rain melts him away like in canon (except without the stomping please).

Aaaand that's it, no more notes. Thanks so much to all the Wittebane fans in the community who have kept his fanbase fed when the show didn't meet our standards and who prompted the line of thought that led to this post.

There are so many of you all who inspired and made my fandom experience fun and created so much out of just Philip, Caleb, and Evelyn (and all your OCs of course!!) so I'm just going to shoutout the ones I remember off the top of my head -

@talisman975

@jess-the-vampire

@calebsrottingcorpse

@owlyhouse

@anona1-mous

@captainmera

@moonmeg

@azure-blaze92

@a-magpie-in-the-bi

@a-magpie-in-gravesfield

This is no particular order and I'm surely missing more so this is by no means exhaustive, but this is just a shoutout for those who kept this fandom going. Y'all are the real troopers for sure.

That's all I got, but I'm posting some old Belos art soon! Cheers all, and may the terrible awful no good goo babygirl keep inspiring us for all the great art <3

[iloveundertaesooomuch]

Some advice from AU Calebs!

Heck yeah I did it! Finally i finished ONE of the HUNDREDS AU crossover ideas I have in my head!! Crossovers are fun guys!! (I apologise for a bad english in advance. Writing this it a rush.)

"It's ok to ask for help." (A Reverse Of Feathers And Mud by @jess-the-vampire)

I couldn't make a crossover meme without the legend. Sorry, not sorry. He is such a sad lad but tries to stay positive and be happy for his family uydfykudsutsudskudsluds (*dies*). I have to admitt, Caleb's dad energy is too strong for me to handle without wanting a hug him. No wonder! He was THE grandpa for centuries straight without a break. At least Caleb gets his whole family together in the end. Comics with him and either Hunter and Philip or Luz and Eda make me run in cirles around the room aaaa.

"You are not a burden." (Brother's Keeper by @idoodlestuffsometimes)

Damn, you definetly created one of the darkest AU in the fandom. Each time I re-read AU related posts I scream my lungs out because it is so angsty and so great. I am genuinely scared of your Belos ngl, because.. this man didnt loose anything and he still proceeds to do all that stuff. Enconter with him has 0 survival rate.

POOR CALEB! At least in the world of memes he had an opportunity to flee the captivity twice (the bald head and the car). This man had no moment of mental rest for centuries oh my God. One of my friends wants to fight his brother personally to protec Caleb at all cost sksksk. Well, at least Hunter will always have an actually loving relative! And if the happy ending is going to be canon, I think the future looks great, especially knowing how much pain all your characters go through currently. (And I think both Caleb and Hunter would need the "you are not a burdain" affirmations. At least some form of support in their situation.)

You said in the latest ask-answer that BK!Caleb was supposed to have white streaks in his hair so I attempted to add them. Hope they look fine! Colors for the outfit I got from Belos, so they would match, I guess???

"Murder is okay." (Loose Strings by @oldmanpip)

My bro, brother, friend... Despite you being not to involved on the discord server, my brain is still rotting with your great awesome AUs. And I know you know that. Your Caleb is really loose in all sences of that word and I love that. Wonder if your AUs will ever be available to the public. Because oh boy oh boy they deserve to be recognised. (Loose Caleb is such a conservative grandpa who never did anything wrong, wdym?)

"Your feelings matter." (Pip In Time by @celestialscribbler)

Honestly? Man, your comic is the reason I got invested in Witteclaw couple at all. Even if the "Pip in time" is not their story, but you wrote their teen romance so sweetly. Those two melted my heart... I scream each time I re-read your comic for 100th time. Just WOAH my brain goes brrr! And Caleb as a character is also written really really well. I love him so much. He is such good brother but MAN HE NEEDS A BREAK FROM BEING AN ADULT! BOY! Insirt crying and heart emojis here.

(PS: hope you still care about your health!)

My thoughts:

I have been drawing this for more than a month I think? And the only reason for that is my university. I hope to actually get an ADHD diagnosis because something is clearly wrong with me. But thats not the point.

There are so many ideas in my head. Goofy and not. The only problem is that I have less and less ability to do what I want lately. I wish I could bring them all to life, but at the same I dont know if anyone will be interested. Would AU crossovers look too self-indulgent? Or nah? Idk. (Just Grimwalker-Isle already has so much potential for stupid ridiculous fun I am runnin on coffee juice.)

Litteraly my mind is plagued with different fun plots and possibilities I am going crazy. But I also have A TON of WIPs that I need to finish. Perhaps I will attempt to manage everything at once, but, no promises.

Wish me luck on my exams!

[sepublic]

Anyhow there’s something indescribably sad to the Collector trying to reach out to Belos, of all people, and give him some compassion. Not just for what follows right afterwards, but also...

Part of their arc really is the age-old realization of how life isn’t perfect. Not just with existence and permanence of death, but also in that loss of innocence when you want to believe that you can save and befriend everyone. That nobody is too far gone, that everybody can be happy together!

The Collector has known Philip for centuries; He’s one of his longest relationships, and for Philip, the Collector IS his longest interaction, by a long shot. The Collector has been privy to so many of Philip’s secrets, by proxy of being a source for arcane knowledge, so they know all about the Grimwalkers and his human identity.

They’ve picked up on Philip’s loneliness, his insecurities; Even asking Philip about his anxieties over returning home. They weren’t wrong about any of these things! For centuries, the Collector reassured himself that the two of them were friends, and I wonder if a recognition in their similarities helped fuel this conception for the kid. Made them feel less lonely.

In the end, I kind of get the idea that the Collector cared for Philip, despite it all; Or at least was inspired enough by Luz to give her idea a shot, because if it worked on them, why not Philip? Who is just like them, because Belos thrives on making these comparisons between himself and others to manipulate them! And sure he was mean and a liar, but the Collector misunderstood King to be that, and was wrong! If they just needed help, then Philip...?

And that gets me back to the Collector’s scared and disappointed question, one he’s repeated all his life; What did he do wrong? What did he do wrong, for Belos to not reciprocate, to lash out? They don’t want to hold malice, they just want to get along... It ties back to this idea of kids and even adults kind of seeing themselves as the heroes of their story, there’s a responsibility for them to save others. And if they don’t accept help, then it’s the fault of the person who reached out for not trying hard enough.

It’s the devastating heartbreak that came to Hunter, to any kid who’s had an older, conservative relative who refused to change their mind. Refused to listen, despite all of the compassion in the world. And the grief that some people won’t get better, won’t get happier. And in the end, as Luz recognizes, you just have to admit that it’s up to those people to do so. It’s only your responsibility to a certain degree.

That’s part of Luz letting go of her Hero complex, whereas Belos never gives up on being a Savior, in trying to convert people like Caleb at any cost. Luz reiterates to the Collector that they didn’t do anything wrong, and King’s dad reminds her as well; Luz forgives herself for not being able to do enough, both for being a child who shouldn’t bear the weight of the world on her shoulders, and also for just being a single, flawed person. It isn’t her fault, there isn’t something secretly wrong about Luz for failing to save Belos. You can only give so much support. And after everything he’s done...

Well. There’s nothing wrong about Luz hating Belos, wanting him to die when he pleads for mercy, feebly tries to appeal to “peace” as if he’s ever considered that, spat and killed at every attempt for it by Caleb, his Grimwalkers, the Collector, his followers, Luz; Every kind person he’s met in the isles.

As King’s dad reminds her, fighting the bad guy doesn’t necessarily make you equally evil, because sometimes you HAVE to fight, in self-defense, because those people won’t quit. It’s not required for victims to forgive, nor should they try to appeal to ‘moral sensibilities’ by being palatable in how they retaliate against an oppressor. Anger IS okay and justified, and you shouldn’t feel guilty and be expected to always take the moral high ground.

For a kid like the Collector or even Luz, it’s a heartbreaking epiphany; Not everyone can be happy, no matter how hard you try. As King’s dad notes, you CAN’T control everyone and everything. But eventually, they learn to let go of those toxic people and that obsession; Accept and make the most of that, and find relief in this lesson. The show never admonishes compassion, even if it won’t always be enough; Look at Gus, whose arc involves realizing that while people may take his compassion for granted and even manipulate it, it’s not foolish and eventually there will be those who reciprocate. Kindness does pay off in the long run!

[moonmeg]

!!TW for panel 3-5// Blood

Seeing him unharmed and alive in his crib was the greatest relief. He was crying but he was alive. With a soft shush she picked the babe from the crib and cradled him in her arms.

"It's alright, little sprout, it's all perfectly fine. Mama's here.", she tried to calm him with a small rocking motion. Her eyes were fully fixated on his little chubby face and the big round tears running down his pink cheeks. It was still a bit surreal to think this was her baby. Her baby that she had carried beneath her heart for almost nine months. Cat started walking around the room while continuing her attempt to calm him. By now she had figured out how to tell his cries apart. His current cry wasn't of hunger, nor did he have an unpleasant smell about him.

"Did you have a bad dream, my love?", she asked and gently wiped the tears off his face, "Me too...". Robyn wasn't a talker just yet, but he was a great listener. While Cat had many great advisors and comforters around her, whenever she started to speak with Robyn, she realized that sometimes all it needs is someone who simply listens. Of course, she knew he doesn't understand her and that he won't remember any of what she's telling him but the idea that he did was nice enough for her to continue talking to him. So she began fighting against Robyn's cries by retelling him her own dream.

"I dreamed about your Papa. He was here and he looked so proud and full of love as he looked at you. We were all together, just as intended. We were happy.", she smiled at the image in her head. How he was standing next to her before the self-made crib he had spent months on. His hand's firm grip on her upper arm as he pulled her closer to him. His warm brown eyes carrying the love he feels for her in just one look. His proud smile towards his son, his soft touch on her cheek and chin. It all felt so real. Cat couldn't help the tear she shed upon the repeating realization that this image will never be a reality. He was gone. No matter how much in denial she wanted to be or was about it.

Caleb was gone.

"Then he appeared.", she put emphasis on "he". Cathy didn't want to speak his name, nor did she want Robyn to ever hear that name. She would rather have that name and the person it was given to be forgotten. That was his biggest concern, wasn't it? He wanted to be remembered as great witch hunter and as savior to humanity. He wanted his name in history books and an everlasting legacy. She figured, she would not give him that.

She knows she can't shut away the story attached to that person. Sooner or later Robyn would ask what had happened to his father and she wasn't planning on lying to him. But if Robyn never hears the name, even if he retells the story of Caleb's fate to friends or perhaps even his own children some day, the name would never be mentioned and slowly be forgotten. It would be "the person" and not "Philip".

Cat paused, thinking of how to continue the telling. The images flashing her mind threw her right back to that terrible day. Right back to the horrifying sight of her beloved Caleb lying in a growing puddle of blood on the floor, clenching his side, coughing...

She had tried her best to push those memories back and instead replace them with happy memories of him. It was too painful a sight to revisit again and again but she wasn't able to push it away fully.

His blood-dyed shirt, the blood strains on his chin and his arm, the pain and sadness in his eyes, the last of his strength he put into a final kiss before he exhaled one last time and lost the life in his body... she was there. She held him through it all.

She feared those moments would now be her steady company in life. They would always return and reopen the wound and she couldn't escape it.

Catherine looked back to her little son, still very much crying, as she decided to not go into detail about what exactly her subconsciousness tortured her with. Both, because it wasn't fit to tell your month old baby and because she could hardly bear saying the required words.

"I'll spare us both of telling what he did. But he did something horrible. And then...he said something so cruel about you.", she brushed her index finger over Robyn's cheek as if he knew what cruelty was said and she wanted to comfort him.

Robyn's cries lost volume but they weren't gone. He noticed he was no longer alone in the crib but that he was held by someone and he noticed quickly it was his mother so close to him. He knew her scent and he recognized her voice. Sometimes that's all he needed to calm down again: mama.

Said mama stared at him in adoration. She loved her little sprout ever since the healers told her she was pregnant. He has grown so much in just eight months and he still was. She was in awe every time anew. That's her son. Her little boy, who surely would grow into a fine young man... much like his late father. Catherine saw the world in this little life and she was proud to call herself his mother.

"He's just so wrong about you. He said you were never supposed to exist...", her brows furrowed in confusion. If Robyn was never supposed to exist, clearly he wouldn't be here now and clearly, Caleb and her would've never been able to conceive him in the first place. If, by Philip's logic, this child was the aftermath of a so-called "sin", if not a "sin" himself, surely that almighty person Caleb and his brother believed in would've not allowed Robyn to exist. She barely understood any of that topic and yet still even regarding that human belief, everything speaks *for* her baby's existence, not against it.

Robyn made a noise, striking his fist in the air as if in protest of the statement. His cries having ceased under Cathy's rocking-while-walking.

"Yeah.", Cat chuckled and validated Robyn's reply, "He's absolutely wrong.".

She paused for a moment to take the blanket from the crib and wrap him up in it. He was calm now again and it wouldn't take long before he dozed off again. So she hoped at least. Once wrapped up, she adjusted him and placed him over her chest, his head in the crook of her neck, where she was shielding it with her hand.

"You're a gift. The most amazing, wonderful, beautiful gift. And we love you more than anything else. Your father and me.", Cat smiled and turned her head to kiss his crown. She kept her lips pressed to his forehead as the clear night sky caught her attention for a while.

"I wonder what traits of yours he picked up, sweetheart.", she pulled her head back to examine her baby's face once again. There wasn't much of Caleb in Robyn's face but that's to blame on Robyn being a baby still. Of course his facial features are to grow over the years and he wouldn't have a sharp angular jaw as infant but so far Robyn has picked up more from his mother than his father.

"Maybe his hair will stay this light? Maybe his eyes are a warm brown? Or maybe it's something completely different?"

She would welcome any resemblance to her lost love and she would lie if she denied the fact she wished he looked more like Caleb sometimes rather than her when Robyn's older. She'd have her beloved's face back. She'd have his blond locks back. She'd have his beautiful brown eyes back. She'd have him back at least somehow.

Then she noticed Robyn's pointy ears - a trait definitely from her - and further spun the thoughts.

Robyn could grow into her long face and pointy chin. His dirty blond could grow into the brown of her's over the years. He could have her piercing teal eyes. He could be the spitting image of her just as much as he could be of that of Caleb.

"Maybe he barely looks like you when he's older...", she frowned upon the conclusion.

Turning away from the window, she drew a circle in the air and the curtains closed. She got back into bed, holding her infant son tightly as she still lightly rocked him back and forth. She kissed his head again. Whichever traits he picked up from Caleb and whichever from her, in the end her baby was beautiful and perfect just the way he is. He was a gift. Caleb's most precious gift. One she will protect from harm with her life. Her little sprout. Her little Robyn.

[sporesgalaxy]

good morning on this fine friday at 5am my time! circe clawthorne jumpscare.

I truly think this is very very close to final, moreso than usual lol. I'm quite happy with this

I really can't tell if it would be more difficult for me to try and convert this into proper paragraphs or make it a comic...

well here it is. but wait there will be more!

•••

?: [distantly] Philip?

?: [closer] Philip!

?: Philip Wittebane!!!

P: [weirded out cuz hes in the middle of the woods] What in the–

C: [running up to him excitedly] Philip!!! It’s SO good to see you again!!!

P: [backing away] See me again? Do we know each other, Miss?

C: !

C: Come on, Philip!

C: Surely the King of the Witch Hunters can recognize the Dread Witch Beezelbella when he sees her!

—

P: …

C: [smile falters nervously] ...

[Philip bolts]

C: Wh- Philip!

[He sprints through the woods as fast as he can, but weaving between the trees slows him down.]

[Circe suddenly cuts Philip off, riding on her staff]

P: [flinches away from her so violently that he falls on his ass] GAH!!

C: What are you running away for?!

P: [shielding his face, peeking at her erratically, as if afraid to look directly at her for too long] You’re not real!! You’re some cruel illusion!!

P: Sent to– to torment me, or tempt me to forfeit my soul to the devil!

P: Well it WON’T WORK!! So– gh– [flails his hands in her general direction] BEGONE!

–

C: No no no no! No tricks, I promise!

C: [REALIZES SHE IS LEVITATING] Ah!!! Er…

[she jumps off the staff and holds it behind her conspicuously, too frantic to remember to store it as a palisman]

C: [smiling nervously] I meant to save that for later!

P: [STARING]

C: Here. :) [holds out her free hand to help him up]

P: [looks somewhere btwn angry and scandalized]

[Philip pushes himself further away from her before standing up on his own. He struggles a little because he now seems reluctant to take his eyes off her. Circe looks saddened but not entirely surprised.]

C: Really, I--

[tries to gesture, but is still holding the staff in one hand, and ends up accidentally swinging it towards Philip.]

[Philip flinches again, and stares at it like it might explode.]

[Circe quickly reduces the staff to just a bird and pockets the palisman in her cloak]

C: [smiling apologetically, holding up palms to show she’s unarmed] I’d never dream of hurting you!!

C: [looking at him and still smiling but with pleading, sad eyes] You know that, don't you Philip? No matter how we've changed, I...I'll always love you.

P: [mentally recalculating] …I...see.

C: [beams] Yes!! I pinky promise! [holds out pinky for a second, but quickly drops it]

P: [less defensive body language, but still clearly a little wary] Hm…

–

C: [a bit nervier] Ah-- before we go any further, I need to re-introduce myself!!

P: [skeptical] Re-introduce?

C: [trying to stay chipper but looking more stressed] I know I look different, but it’s…it’s still me!! [she pulls her hair back into a ponytail, looking a bit uncomfortable] See?

P: The…Dread Witch Beezelbella.

C: [frustrated] Your sis– your sibling!!! You know, the one who raised you?? Who spent all those years putting gruel on the table??

P: [frowning] The one who died seven years ago.

C: Er– well– I had to...go away for a while. But I’m here now!!

C: [trying to bulldoze through it] And really hardly anything has changed!

C: I've simply learned I’m much happier being your sister! That’s not too complicated, is it? You understand, don’t you??

P: I…suppose–

C: [bulldozing again] Spectacular!!!!

C: So, you’ll call me Ci– [seems to realize something] Er…just C.C. is fine for now! [nervy smile]

[Philip gives her a perplexed look]

C: Probably easier and, er…good for an Adjustment Period! [nods to herself]

P: [mostly just baffled] …C.C.

C: [nodding more] You've got it!! Same person, new gender! None of the old name and no man words, pretty please!

P: --

C: [before Philip can reply] Great!!!

C: Now, with all THAT out of the way: It’s YOUR turn! [stepping closer to him, as though she wants to hold his hands] Tell me everything! How are you?! What’s happened while I was gone? What have you been up to??

–

P: [leaning away] Oh. Er…

P: I’m…doing very well. I… [“thinks”, bringing a finger to his chin a little too theatrically]

P: …Goodness, so much has changed, I’m not even sure where to start!

P: Really, you ought to just visit the house with me and see what’s changed for yourself. [grabs her arm and gently tugs]

C: [Withdraws, very nervous] Oh, no no no, I can't go into town.

C: You and I of all people should know how–!

C: --!

C: [Squints]

P: …Is something the matter?

C: [Squints harder]

C: ...Do NOT Witch-hunt me, Philip!!!!

P: I have no idea what you’re talking about. I'm only trying to show you--

C: Oh for goodness' sake, NO!!!! I will NOT set foot in that town EVER again!!

P: ...Then you should wait here for just a moment, and I'll return shortly– [beginning to walk away]

C: [Grabs his arm to stop him leaving] [exasperated] I am not an idiot, Philip!!!

C: [sighs] Look, I know this is going to be difficult for you to accept, but magic didn't turn me evil! I'm still just ME!

P: [MAIDENLESS STARE]

–

[Circe continues holding Philip’s arm to keep him there, and for now, he lets her.]

C: As it turns out, you DON’T have to sell your soul for magic! We were completely wrong about it!

P: [EXTREMELY skeptical] Is that so?

C: [frustrated] It’s true! I could prove it to you!

C: ...Well, I guess I can’t PROVE that I still have a soul. Not that I know of. [to herself] I wonder if there’s a spell for that…

P: [extremely sarcastic] Perhaps we ought to enlighten the entire town to the existence of this fascinating *benign sorcery*.

C: [annoyed] Really, Philip?

P: Well, why not?? Since you can *prove* that it’s harmless, let's go prove it to everybody! It would make our lives *so* much easier…

C: Stop it.

—

P: Why, no one would have to do chores ever again!

C: Philip!

P: Maybe we could all be in one big witch’s coven together--

C: ENOUGH!!

C: You've been clear enough already!!!! You still don't like magic, and you don't trust me!!!

C: [takes a deep breath] ...

[Gently, Circe lets go of Philip's arm, which she had been gripping rather tightly.]

[She watches as though expecting Philip to bolt again, but he doesn't.]

[She fidgets with her sleeve as she continues.]

C: Philip, please. Just...just listen to me for a moment.

P: [Opens mouth, looking indignant]

C: [cutting Philip off] You don't have to believe me! I know that you...probably won't. I had hoped--

C: [doesnt finish that thought, looking bitterly sad]

C: ...There's something I need to tell you, but I want to know you'll listen.

P: [scoffs] Why bother if you know I won't fall for it?

C: Because...! Because I have to do something!

C: ...Philip--

[She reaches toward him, and he shrinks back.]

P: You've been gone for nearly a decade.

C: ... [confirmingly guilty face]

P: It took you that long to-- to bother telling me anything?!

P: Why in the hell would I want to believe that?!

—–

P: How could I?!

P: How could I possibly believe that you’d *vanish without a trace,*

P: and then– *reappear out of thin air,* just because-- what, the whim finally struck you???

C: No--! It-- it wasn't a whim, Philip, I would never--!

P: [pulling at his hair] AGH!! Then where have you *been??!!!* Why come back *now??!*

C: I-- it's difficult to explain--

P: I spent YEARS trying to hunt down that *witch*–!

[Circe grimacing/wincing rxn shot]

P: [gesticulating wildly] YEARS hopelessly wondering what might’ve become of you!!!!!

P: I WASTED my LIFE searching for answers!!!!

P: Of course I don't want to believe this!! That you could have come back this whole time, but-- [voice breaking]

P: ...But you chose not to.

–

C: 😟

P: [still angry, but quieter now] And what a cruel joke it would be, for you to finally be here.

P: [hand gravitating towards knife on belt] After I’d finally managed to give *up* on you.

[Circe wants to hug him. She wishes he were still small enough that she could pick him up and squeeze him with all her might. But she thinks better of it. No matter how much she loved Philip, she couldn't afford to trust him right now.]

[Philip's hand is hovering over the spot where Circe knows his knife sheath to be. She feels her heart break a little more.]

[She steadily meets his eyes and keeps her hands at her sides, ready to pull out her staff if necessary. She won't be able to hurt him the way he's apparently resolved to hurt her, but she could run away.]

[She had desperately hoped that Gravesfield's claws wouldn't be sunken so deeply into him, but she knew what it took to survive there. And he had been forced to survive it even longer than her.]

C: ...I’m sorry, Philip.

P: ...

C: I'm sorry for leaving you in Gravesfield alone.

C: I didn't think I had a choice.

[Circe shifts her weight uncomfortably. It feels wrong, measuring how she speaks to Philip, her brother, the person who knew her better than anyone not too long ago. But he isn't the only one she's protecting anymore.]

C: ...truthfully, I…

[It feels loathesome to admit after so many years of spending so much of her energy hiding it.]

C: …I thought you would be better off without me.

—

P: [genuine confusion] ...What?

C: You're a genius, Philip. I knew you could do anything you put your mind to. Make a real future for yourself.

C: But I-- I could barely even keep us fed until we--

C: [looking terribly guilty] ...started working together.

C: I thought that once you could take care of yourself...

C: You could have a normal, happy life. Without me.

P: [pissed] And how do you know that you couldn't be a part of it!? You ran away before you even tried!!

C: I tried for years!! All my trying ever did was put targets on our backs!!!

C: [bitterly] Because I couldn't hold down any job but the most dangerous in Gravesfield.

---

P: What targets?! We were heroes!

P: If you had just stayed, if you had never listened to that witch, we still would be!!

P: Did she say I'd be better off without you?! Is that how she convinced you to leave?!

C: [low, serious] No.

C: I... [ashamed] ...I made up my mind before I met Evelyn.

C: I had already decided you were better off without me.

C: [intense] She's the reason I'm still here to discuss it with you.

P: [shocked, unsettled, doesn't want to process that]

P: That...that can't be true! Everything was fine until she came along!! This was all her fault!!

P: You'd still be normal if it weren't for her!!!

C: [angry on Evelyn's behalf] No!!! I was never normal!!!!

C: And you were the only person who couldn't seem to tell!!!

C: [tearing up] It was going to get us both killed, sooner or later!!!

C: *I* was going to get us killed, because I'm like this!! Because *I* can't live a normal life!!

C: I wanted to protect you. To make your life easier than mine had been, but--

P: You were protecting me just fine before you ran away!!!

P: And what's this nonsense about us getting killed?! We were heroes! We saved the whole town from evil!

C: We were never heroes! We weren't saving anyone!

C: We punished people who didn't fit in!

P: Didn't "fit in??"

P: We punished monsters!! Demons who tortured our neighbors!!

P: Any one of those witches would have sacrificed all of Gravesfield to the Devil had we not stopped them!!

C: And what about us, Philip?!

C: Is there anyone in Gravesfield we wouldn't have sacrificed, had the court willed it?!!

C: [crying] We were such hypocrites!

C: The suspicion, the accusations-- it was exactly the way they used to treat us!! We were outsiders, too!!

P: [falters. that kinda gets to him but he wants to pretend it didnt]

C: [miserable] I justified so many awful things to myself. To you.

C: All because I was too scared to see the truth.

C: And once I finally did...I was too gutless to ask you to face it.

C: We were never any better than anyone else.

C: All of it...

C: It was just murder.

P: [not as much conviction] Don't be ridiculous--!

C: Don't be naive!!

P: ...

C: ...

C: ...I am truly sorry, Philip.

C: I'm sorry that I got us into this mess.

C: I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you like I was supposed to.

--

C: I was rash. And stupid. But I only ever wanted to keep you safe.

C: ...I still want you to be safe. I'd hoped you could understand, but...

C: [difficult for her to give up on him] ...if you refuse to listen...there's nothing that I can do.

P: [trying to not want it to be real] ...

[Philip looks conflicted, frustrated, trying to find his anger and righteousness again]

P: I-- rrgh!! You're impossible!!!

[He begins to walk in one direction, pulling at his hair, then suddenly turns on his heel and walks the other way again]

P: [exasperated, tring to convince himself] Literally! This is-- this is all impossible...!

[He buries his face in his hands and plops down on a log with an angry grunt]

[Circe watches him, wondering what he’s thinking now.]

[After he just sits there with his face in his hands for a moment, she slowly approaches and sits carefully next to him.]

P: [he is resting his elbows on his legs. He clasps his hands, uncovering his face, forehead against his intertwined fists.]

P: ...

[shot of Circe looking at him sadly]

–

C: …Are you happy in Gravesfield?

P: [Hands still clasped, his eyes open, looking into the woods] …

C: Philip?

P: [flatly] That doesn’t matter.

C: [Leaning forward, trying to look in his eyes] …It matters to *me*…

[Philip unclasps his hands but remains hunched over. He instead holds his elbows, which still rest on his legs. Does not look at Circe.]

P: [cold] So you say.

[Circe shrinks back]

[the two sit in silence for a moment. Birds chirp, and the bare tree branches sway in the breeze above them.]

–

C: [quietly] …are the trials as bad as they used to be?

P: …

P: [even tone] Less frequent.

C: [hopeful] That’s good.

P: … [furrows his eyebrows]

C: Do you still–

P: Yes.

C: [saddened] …

P: I am protecting people.

P: I’ve prevented what happened to you from happening again a dozen times over.

[Circe pales. Philip still is not looking at her.]

P: [clearly bitter about something] I’m *careful.* [seeming more vexed than proud] I’ve done more research than *anyone.*

C: [examining his face] …Research?

P: …

C: [dawning ] Do they *understand* that’s what your doing?

P: [intensely, looking only at the ground] It doesn’t matter. I can prove it.

C: [scared] Philip, are you in danger?

P: [breaks a twig off a branch on the fallen log with his left hand] [curtly] *No.*

P: [looks annoyed at the stick momentarily. passes it to his right hand] Because *I* am not a witch.

P: [slightly hesitant] …obviously.

—-

[Philip starts doodling in the dirt with the twig]

C: [losing patience with his stubborness] Do you honestly still believe that only real witches get accused? Get *punished?*

P: [stops drawing. gives her an angry sideways glance. then glares at the dirt again] …

P: …*Yes.*

P: As long as you do it *correctly.*

C: [furrows eyebrows] ……

[Philip resumes, scratching the dirt more forcefully.]

C: But–

P: Witches die because they are born doomed.

[as he says “doomed,” Philip finishes drawing The Belos Mask with a final, forceful scratch]

C: That’s what we were *told*. That doesn’t mean it’s true.

[Circe looks at Philip, expression somewhere between grim and pleading, but he won’t look up from his sketch]

——

P: [darkly] What does that mean for you, then?

[Circe is taken off-guard]

P: Do your witch-friends know what you used to do?

P: Or are you lying to them, too?

C: I–!

C: …

C: [quieter] …Not all of them know.

P: [snidely] Hmph.

C: [with a bit more conviction] But the ones that *do* know…

C: They know that I was scared. And trying to keep us safe.

C: There are people who understand that I truly thought I was doing the right thing.

C: [guilt] That I would give anything to undo it now…

C: [focusing on Philip again] They trust me, and love me, even though I’ve made…terrible mistakes. Even though I’ll *always* make mistakes.

C: [trying REALLY hard to get through to Philip] *Gravesfield isn’t all there is.*

P: …

[Philip scratches out the doodle forcefully.]

P: [unhappily] Good for you.

—-

[a prolonged beat of silence, save Philip’s stick scraping against the ground as he scribbles slowly, randomly on the spot where the doodle used to be]

C: ...If you want–

[suddenly, Philip throws his stick to the ground and turns to Circe]

P: [frustrated noise] Would you just get this over with already?!

C: [taken aback] What?

P: For Christ's sake, I don’t care what you want anymore!! Just take it!!!

P: You win! Enough with this awful vision!!

C: [baffled] Wha–! I-I’m not–! You still don’t believe that I’m real?!

——-

P: You *can’t* be!

P: [breaking a little] I only *want* you to be real!

P: I *want* you to be *alive*!

P: I don’t *want* to be *alone* any longer!!

P: But you insist on dragging out this awful charade!!

P: [becoming more desperate than angry] Why can’t you just lie to me?!

P: Tell me that you never wanted to leave at all!! That you're back for good! That nothing’s changed!!

P: *Something*– *anything* that’s actually easy to go along with!!! Isn't that what you're supposed to do?!

[Circe looks hurt]

P: Don't I even get to die thinking that I could be reunited with– with you?!

P: [losing steam] …What could you possibly want that you haven’t had the chance to take from me already…?

[a beat. Circe’s expression has closed off considerably. Philip rubs his face for a moment, then looks up again.]

P: Please. Get it over with. Kill me, or whatever it is you came here to do.

P: Or for God’s sake leave me be.

[wide shot of them sitting in unhappy silence]

——

C: [very quietly] …Alright.

[Circe stands, brushes her skirt off. Philip remains sitting, not looking at her]

C: I suppose I’ve done all that I can, then.

P: …

C: I won’t disturb you again.

P: …….

C: I’m still thankful that I could see you one last time.

P: ………..

C: [trying to keep composed] Please…stay safe. Take care of yourself.

P: ……………..

—

C: I love you.

P: …………… … …

C: [offscreen] Goodbye, Philip.

[she walks away]

[a beat passes]

[Philips resolve breaks. As he looks up–]

P: Ca– C.C., I–

[–he realizes he is alone again.]

P: ….

P: [slowly, he stands. brushes his jacket off. walks away.]

[soapbbox]

And what if suddenly half of my brain was occupied with a Swap AU, how funny would that be

A little blurb about my ideas for this under the cut:

So essentially Philip and Caleb grew up in one of those small, very religious towns that still happen to hold the beliefs about witches (I guess it would be in modern day but like one of those towns that feel like ur back in the 1800s). Then Caleb and Philip accidentally travel to the boiling isles, Caleb meets his witch wife etc. Instead of killing Caleb, Philip gets over his prejudice (kinda) because he sees how happy she makes him.

Then something happens and Caleb and his wife end up in the human realm with Philip/Belos stuck in the demon realm. Caleb works tirelessly to try and find a way back, him and his wife have Hunter, and 10 years later they move out of the town bc a. It still sucks, and b. Caleb has given up on finding a way back to the demon realm. Idk maybe I’ll have Caleb die during his work; either way, Hunter grows up not knowing much (or at all) abt magic or the demon realm bc no one likes to talk about it (his mom knows how it makes Caleb sad, so she also avoids the subject. She is also very weary about being outed as a witch bc she lives in that town).

Then something happens and Caleb and his wife end up in the human realm with Philip/Belos stuck in the demon realm. Caleb works tirelessly to try and find a way back, him and his wife have Hunter, and 10 years later they move out of the town bc a. It still sucks, and b. Caleb has given up on finding a way back to the demon realm. Idk maybe I’ll have Caleb die during his work; either way, Hunter grows up not knowing much (or at all) abt magic or the demon realm bc no one likes to talk about it (his mom knows how it makes Caleb sad, so she also avoids the subject. She is also very weary about being outed as a witch bc she lives in that town).

In the demon realm, Philip studies magic to try and survive, pretty much the same as canon. Except for I imagine him going through one of the time pools that sends him like 100-200 years in the past and he gets stuck there. He does the carving glyphs into his skin, finding the collector, etc, so he’s still a gooey monster by the time Hunter finds him.

Now onto the present, similar to Luz, Hunter finds and goes through the portal door and adventures around before he gets attacked by Belos for trespassing. Hunter recognizes him bc of old family pics, but Belos doesn’t. Anyways, their bonding revolves around finding a way back (portal door belongs to Ed’s, but they don’t know that) and Hunter being super interested in magic bc no one at home talks about it.

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Fic Request: Camilla makes pancakes for Kid Philip, Luz and her friends.

The BEST Fluffy Pancakes EVER

Summary: Camila prepares fluffy pancakes for breakfast with the help of Kid Philip and the Hexsquad.

Ao3 version

A recommended read before reading this

Enjoy!

Thanks for the help, @talisman975!

"Morning, Mamá," Luz greeted her mother with a small yawn and smile, stretching her arms as she stepped into the kitchen.

Camila, after adding some flour into a small bowl and setting it down on the counter, turned to look at her daughter with a smile.

"Good morning, mija," she said, making sure she had all the essential ingredients for the breakfast she was about to prepare.

Luz was filled with joy upon seeing flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, butter, and an egg on the counter as she approached her mother.

She released a small, joyful squeal, her fists clenching in excitement.

She knew exactly what her mother was making for breakfast.

One of mankind's greatest edible inventions.

"Pancakes! Can I help you make them, Mom?" Luz asked with bright eyes, giving her mother the most adorable pleading look.

A small chuckle came from Camila as she nodded.

"Of course you can."

She was happy to see her daughter in a better mood.

Since arriving at her doorstep on that somber rainy night with her friends and a small human boy with brown hair named Philip Wittebane, she noticed that she hadn't been herself lately.

However, Luz was getting better the more she realized that focusing on her sadness wouldn't get her friends back to the Boiling Isles.

She's had to balance creating a new portal door with her friends, spending time with them and her mother, completing schoolwork and homework, attending therapy sessions, and developing a close bond with Philip, which has been a lot for her.

However, with the help of Gus, Luz was able to follow a schedule that helped her find time for everything, and Camila couldn't be more proud of her daughter.

...

The pair soon got to work on breakfast.

Both added flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

...

After Camila created a well in the middle of the bowl, she instructed Amity to add milk, melted butter, and an egg.

Camila then assisted Amity in stirring the wet and dry ingredients together with a whisk.

"It's crucial to maintain the lumps. They make the cakes fluffier," she informed Amity with a smile.

...

Hunter and Gus started heating the cast iron skillet.

They coated it lightly with oil while Willow and Vee washed strawberries and blueberries and moved them to small glass bowls.

...

"This is my favorite part," Philip whispered to Camila with a gleeful smile on his face as he stood in front of her, facing the pancake on the skillet that was starting to become round.

He and Camila held a spatula.

"Ready?" Camila gently whispered as she looked down at him with a motherly smile.

Philip gave her a nod.

Sliding their shared spatula under the pancake, they gently rotated it on the other side.

"It's golden!" Philip gasped, his blue eyes lighting up at the golden-brown state of the pancake.

Camila nodded her head.

"It is," she said, allowing the other side to cook before sliding the cake onto a plate.

"Mijo, your pancake flipping was excellent. Let's flip some more!"

...

Philip pushed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth as he sat at the dining room table with Luz and her friends, who were also enjoying their stack of pancakes as well.

"Mmm, they're so soft!" he hummed in delight while chewing before swallowing.

"These are the bestest, most fluffiest pancakes I've ever tasted!"

Philip turned to look at Camila, who was filling her morning cup with coffee.

"Thank you so much for making them, Mrs. Camila!" the brunette beamed as the mother approached him with her cup.

She then pulled out the empty chair beside Philip's left and took a seat next to him.

"Aww, you're welcome, baby. But remember, you helped make them as well, so thank you. Thank you, everyone," Camila expressed her gratitude to Philip and the Hexsquad with a warm smile as they smiled back at her.

"You're welcome," they all said in unison.

"Mrs. Camila, may we make more pancakes tomorrow morning, too?" an overexcited Philip inquired as he continued to eat more of his breakfast.

Camila chuckled and ruffled his hair with her free hand.

"Of course we can, mijo."

[waywardsunlight]

That art where Caleb fell into the time pools I wonder how Caleb and hunter would interact

The Sad Answer: I think it might be kind of upsetting for Hunter because Caleb raised his former guardian and is the source of Hunter's identity problems from Belos. Caleb is trying his best to salvage it but he knows something bad happened. The Happy Answer: I think Hunter would ask about Flapjack and they'd be able to bond over him and his impact on their lives. Meeting Caleb would just prove that they're very different people and it could make Hunter feel more secure in his identity. Also, Caleb would love Darius + Eber and be happy that Hunter found people who love him. I think in a different AU they could be very close, have a dad/kid relationship, but Hunter's a 19 year old already who's been living with his adopted family for three years, Caleb's heading back to his daughter, and I feel that for the most part, Hunter's done with talking about Philip or the past. It would be nice to see that Caleb wasn't perfect either, and that the standard Hunter was held to has nothing to do with either of them.

[icy-watch]

I'm kinda in shock rn.

But ok.

King is a prisoner new BFF to the Collector. So, going to have to save him. Somehow.

Eda's lost an arm to the curse. But at least she's alive.

And Belos is... not quite dead. A bit of him stayed with Hunter and went thru the portal with the Owl Squad.

Obviously the point of the next season is going to be to get back to the Boiling Isles to save everyone. Belos is going to make a comeback at some point, and try to take them down, but they'll be ready this time.

And Luz's Palisman still needs to hatch.

Yeah.

I forgot the message at the top of the episode again, but I was right. The message is "seek the key fear the lock."

Tomorrow is an in person movie night with my cousin, his wife, and our group. So, I won't be able to liveblog tomorrow. I'm planning on liveblogging at least 10 to 15 minutes of the first episode of s3 the next day earlier than normal. Much earlier. I have a family thing that evening, but the day after that should be normal.

So, until then!

Correct and incorrect predictions below the cut.

Correct

The Abominations Belos bought from the Blights will have something to do with the Day of Unity. *sad laughter*

King is a Titan. I'm gonna go find an apple blood recipe and make it for s3. I deserve it. As a treat for being able to predict this in the third episode of the season.

Belos is going to use an axe against Luz. His did. In his mind. I still feel like it'll happen in the show again.

Eda will explore the control she has over her curse. And she's gathered a great hold over it.

The Abominations Belos bought from the Blights will have something to do with the Day of Unity. *sad laughter*

King is a Titan. I'm gonna go find an apple blood recipe and make it for s3. I deserve it. As a treat for being able to predict this in the third episode of the season.

Belos is going to use an axe against Luz. His did. In his mind. I still feel like it'll happen in the show again.

Eda will explore the control she has over her curse. And she's gathered a great hold over it.

We're going to see Gus utilizing his powers to their full potential later in the series. Albeit out of his control, he did technically use them against Adrian and the Emperor's Coven.

The figure we saw who looked like King is not his dad. Yeeeeee! Guessed right.

When we see Lily and Eda's dad again, he doesn't hold it against Eda for injuring him. I... y'all. I am so happy he doesn't.

Hunter's going to leave the castle soon. BUT I WASN'T EXPECTING UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES

We are going to learn a little more about Luz's father and how he passed away. Ouch.

Luz is never going to make an actual portal home. She didn't. She ended up getting back using the 1 Belos made for himself.

Something will happen to stop Luz's Palisman from hatching. Crossing over into the human world is probably a big 1.

Luz, King, and Eda will be separated further. OUCH!

Incorrect

There are more than 4 glyphs. There are only 4 glyphs, but there's more combos than there are variations of Oreos and Doritos.

The item the first human to the Boiling Isles left in the library will be in Amity's little hideout. It would have made it soooooo much easier to get if it had been.

Something will happen to the coven heads - they'll disappear ro be killed off or something - thru the season. This was such a great idea at the time. Belos might have been better off if he listened to me. An L on his end, tbh.

Luz's Palisman is going to take a couple of episodes to appear. *sad laughter*

Belos got the ownership of Philip's journal by being friends or something. More like they're the same person.

Eda's going to help Luz carve her Palisman. She did and we only got to see a little bit of it, and I am sad.

Francois will become animate. Sadly, nope.

King will animate Francois by talking to him. Y'all have no idea how disappointed I am about Francois, let me tell you.

Owlbert won't make it to s3. I have never been so happy to be wrong.

Belosis going to bring the Boiling Isles to the human world. More like murder everyone to return.

Raine has memory loss from the spell. Thankfully, they were just faking it to trick Belos and Terra.

Powerful witches needed for the Day of Unity ritual will have glowing eyes when they use their powers. Surprisingly no. They might be needed for something else tho.

Eda's going to die. Thank the sun, moon, stars, and Spongebob she didn't.

Partial

Belos is infected by something. Putting this here, bc yes but no. The Palismen he consumed have sort of infected him, but not in the sense that I was actually thinking. My thought was he got hit with some Wild Magic or something.

Hunter comes from a line of witches who were descendants of humans, and he is somehow related to Philip Wittebane. Yes, but no. He is technically related to Philip by being a clone of his brother, but he doesn't come from a line of powerless witches who were descended from humans.

Our friends are going to lose the fight against Belos. Technically, they did lose, as it was the Collector who splattered him.

Unconfirmed

The footprints. 2 of them appear what 1 would expect for the time period. The barefoot tracks can be from any time. And the other 2 were too modern. Time travel? Either way, people end up dying. I'm thinking this'll be addressed in s3.

Something happened to Belos's brother at Eclipse Lake. Most likely, his death. This'll be addressed in s3 with the previous 1.

Belos Jurassic Parked the Basilisks to learn how to use the draining spell. This was kind of answered by people in my reblogs and comments, but it hasn't been outwardly stated in the show. And I have no idea if it will be.

The thing King's dad was fighting on the wall is similar to whatever Belos is turning into. This might be addressed in s3. I have my doubts tho.

Birds. The Clawthorns and the Wittebanes are related somehow. I'm thinking the connection might be Belos's brother, but unconfirmed atm.

The circle tablet was broken in a fight between Belos and his brother. Might be addressed in s3.

The dagger was used by Belos to kill his brother. This was heavily implied. It was also implied that the same dagger was used to mutilate his ears.

[beetlebugdash]

My live thoughts during The Owl House finale! (Major spoiler warning!)

Why so late at night for this finale

But 10/10 for disney for doing a marathon before the finale

WHY AM I ALREADY TEARING UP IT HASNT EVEN STARTED

HERE WE GO

Oh the song

It hurts OWWWWWWWWWWW

ALL THE CHARACTER GROWTH

Here comes the tears 

Oh that wasnt the episode?

Black screen?

Oh no different dimension

HEY!

bELOS?

Creepyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Im just as confused as you luz

DID STRINGBEAN JUST SAY HI?

I dont like this

NONONO PETREFICATION

O MY

LUZ VS AMITY?

Nightmareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

EDA WHATS GOIN ON

NO

Oh shush lilith 

ITS ALL THEIR NIGHTMARES

Willow?

Are they puppets now and their living through the nightmares?

Nice suit evil dream Gus

NOT THE SHOVE

O gosh not hunter

A WITCHES BATTLE?

Its a witches duel

ITS NOT REAL!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

SMART VERY SMART

Now its the title!

And on a rubix cube

REUNITED YAY

THE KISSES AW

RAE RAE

DONT TOUCH FRANCOIS

Dog?

Belos is acting horribly sus rn

MANIPULATION EW

NOT FRANCOIS

“I can imagine”

WAIT HOW DID IT HAPPEN

EDA’S PALICEMAN IS ALIVE!

“Itty bitty spiders”

Kid dosent understand death….. Owch

Thank god there isnt any commercials

HES ALIVE?

RAINE FIGHT IT FIGHT IT

AMITY MOVED

WAIT I DIDNT KNOW THERE WERE COMMERCIALS

I DONT WANT A HACHIMALS FAMILY VACATION

NO

Ooooooooooooo owl house marathon monday (at 8pm smh)

Finally were back

JUMPSCARE PACMAN

10/10 music

Stinger hehe

Marbles?

KING ACTING LIKE A HAMSTER

JENGA!

The blushing and sadness awwww

Lucky number 13 hehe

USING THEM PRONOUNS FOR THE COLLECTOR

THEIR JUST A KID 

COLLECTOR LORE!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Abandonment issues ow

COLLECTOR IS AN INNOCENT KID!

ADOPT THE COLLECTOR 

THE LIGHT GLIPH

NOT BELOS

YES FIGHT RAINE

RAINE VS BELOS

“IM DONE” AHAHAHAHAHA

THATS THE TITAINS HEART

WAIT OWL HOUSE ABRIDGED YAY

Uh ohhhhhhhhhhhh

NOT THE MERGE NO

Im scared mom come pick me up

LIGHT GLYPH

MISS LILITH teehee

SAFETY FOR LUZ

Back to the owl house

“The bird house”

Series recap! Tying all the episodes together!

TALKIN ABOUT SPINOFFS

The mountains!

Kindness and forgiveness

Scary animation

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Holy crow thats a lotta magic

DID RAINE DIE?

YEAAA COLLECTOR MAGIC!

tHAT DOSENT WORK COLLECTOR

NONONONO

AMPHIBIA?

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Oh my OH MY WHAT

EVEN HER MOM KNEW

KING AND EDA ARE PISSED

IM PISSED

Yep shes really gone wow

Dimension portal?

OW

Who what huh

HOOTY?

KINGS DAD

IN GHYPH PJS

BAD GIRL COVEN TSHIRT

“King and queen, best of both things”

AW BEST PARENT AWARD

Is that king andrias’s va?

THE BOILING ISLES

POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aw saying something to king TELL ME

Epic music is epic music

Rest in peace

CAMILLA IS AWAKE

Uh oh 

ARE THEY PULLING A SVTFOE?

Theyd better not be

YOU BROUGHT PAPER YAY

THE TEARS AND APPOLOGIES

BOOM

NEW FORM LUZ

WOA

LONG HAIR AND MATCHING EYES TOO

YOOOOOOOOOOO

COLLECTOR HELPING!

SMOOTH ANIMATION

AW

BOOM LIGHT

THE GLYPH IN THE MOUTH

Woa skys above

THE SMILE

NOT THE FLIPPING COMMERTIALS

FINALLY

Whistle?

RAINE!

AW

TEH KISSING

“Fluffier?”

AZURA SPEECH BUT LUZ

OH NO COLLECTOR

NOW EAT THIS SUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Is he gone for good?

“I dont feel so good” -belos

AW THE ACCEPTANCE

ITS SO PRETTYYYYYYYYYYYY

Philip?

Oh just kick him already

KICK HIM YAY

Transformation sequence?

Back to nomal form aw

I LOAF YOU AW

Aw

IS THAT HOW IT ENDS?

STEVE!

AW REUNITED!

GAY KISS!

DARIUS AND HUNTER!

Idk how i feel about the music?

THE CUDDLING!

KISS!

HOOTYS LASHES

FRANCOIS!

Awwwww at least the collector gets a happy ending

No more glyphs…

Awwwwwwwww

LUZ!

COLLEGE?

TIMESKIP

PORTAL WORKS!

AWWWWWW

HUNTER MAKES PALICMAN

A flapjack gravestone awwwwwwwwwwwwww

THE MUSTACHE

LILITH GLOW UP

AMITY LOOKS AWESOME

Prof bump the gardner awwwwwww

Oooooooo new power

DARIUS AND AMITYS DAD SHIP?

Raine looks GOOD

GUS LOOKS COOL

EDA YESSSSSSSSSSSS

Eda became what she feared, a headmaster

KING-CENERA AW

A DRESS AND AZURA CAKE

Wow king is big

Aw a shooting star!

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Oh that was a PERFECT ENDING!

[thedailybullshit]

The finale’s 1 month anniversary was yesterday, & I spent it sleeping. So have all the incorrect quotes I didn’t get a chance to post:

Eda: Are you sure you like me?

Raine: *kneeling w/ ring*

Raine: I’m proposing to you.

Eda: Yeah, but like . . . as friends orrrrrr?

Hunter: Are you sure you like me?

Edric: *kneeling w/ ring*

Edric: I’m proposing to you.

Hunter: Yeah, but like . . . as friends orrrrrr?

Luz: DON’T fuck with me! I have the power of the Titan AND anime on my side!

Philip: Wait, y-

Luz: NOW EAT THIS, SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAA!

The Collector: I know what you’re gonna say: Philip needs forgiveness and I should try to get along with him.

Luz: No, he’s crazy and he needs to go down.

Caleb: Y-y-y-you’re not going to stab a pregnant lady, are you, Phil?

Philip: Yes, in the face. Why?

Luz: Do I even weigh anything to you?

Papa Titan: No. It’s like holding a couple of grapes.

Caleb: Evelyn, I just realized something. I had a bad childhood.

Evelyn: Yes, I know.

Caleb: What do you mean, you know?

Evelyn: Look at you.

Caleb: What do you mean, look at me?!

Evelyn: Look at how you stand.

Caleb:

Evelyn: People who had good childhoods don’t stand like that.

Showing them Memories of their Dad:

Evelyn: Sometimes, special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and then they have to go.

Morgan: But that’s sad.

Evelyn: It is. But the bit where they were here was happy, wasn’t it?

Morgan: *seeing the happiness in the memories* Yeah.

[beejbsbswiwisnsnwwk]

Grimwalker headcanons

.their eyes glow in the dark

.their ears are very expressive. When they are happy their ears perk up, when they are sad their ears droop down, etc

TW this headcanon is graphic with blood (maybe gore? I’m not to sure, I’m sorry) ⬇️

.the first grim walker didn’t work out properly. He crawled out of the ground a bit too early and he was not developed properly. His lungs closed up and filled with blood and started to choke and throw it up, some bones were sticking out of the skin, their eyes did not fit properly in the sockets, and other problems. They died 10 minutes after digging out of the ground, and it was a very painful and graphic death. Belos threw up and waited longer to make another grimwalker

.grimwalker need some kind of memories to go off of. If you make a grimwalker with no memories they won’t know how to do anything, and they have the functions of a newborn, due to the lack of anything to go off of

.the second grimwalker was developed properly, but belos didn’t give him any memories. The grimwalker was made to look about 17 but didn’t know how to properly control parts of their body, like walking, crawling, controlling bladder, ect. Belos killed them 5 hours later

.belos would make fake memories for each individual grimwalker to go along with their “backstory” and what happened to their parents etc. He would have to much fun with it

.the majority of the grimwalker figured out that belos was evil, the ones who didn’t died on missions or due to belos’ “curse”

.belos would ask some of the grimwalkers to call him “Philip” or “pip” before he kills them

.there was one female grimwalker, who was killed a few day after digging out of the ground, she reminded belos of Evelyn

.belos made 78 grimwalkers

.grimwalkers need the bone of the person they are cloning. The cloning will be more accurate depending on how many bones used, belos was careful with the bones at first but became a bit more “careless”

.Hunter was made with both of Caleb’s full hands, each hand hase about 27 bones each, meaning belos used 54 bones to make Hunter

.Hunter was made to be the age of 4 or 5 when he dug out of the dirt, Hunter almost died because he couldn’t dig out. Belos had to dig Hunter out of the ground, but almost let him suffocate incase hunter wasn’t “ready yet”

TW this headcanon is also violent and bloody (I think gore fits this one, I’m still sure I’m very sorry)⬇️

.there was one other grimwalker that was made to be 6. When he grew to about 10 he started to remind belos of Caleb, but a little too much. Belos’ “curse” took over when the grimwalker was around. Belos killed him and left him to slowly bleed to death, and his organs and ribs were visible due to how violent the outburst was

.Each part of the body that gets a certain bone, that area of the body is sensitive. If a grimwalker got a leg, they would have very bad pain in the leg, and would have a limp

.A grimwalker got Caleb’s skull. They were in so much pain from migraines, they couldn’t eat, or drink, or talk, or do anything from how bad the pain would get. Their pain would get so bad they would pass out. Belos put them out of their misery with a very quick death, they were one of the only grimwalkers to not die a slow death

(I’ll edit this or reblog with more headcanons)

[lampmanliveblogs]

The end credits showcase some beautiful drawings. Originally, I wasn’t gonna include all of them… but then I realized that if I’ve already taken 137 screenshots (give or take), then 9 more aren't gonna make that huge of a difference.

We’ve got some nice, sorta slice-of-life scenes, you know, things we could have gotten to see properly if season three had actually been a full season and not three double length ”specials.”

Sorry, I don’t want to be bitter.

I really like that Luz is showing Camila how to draw some glyphs. Who knows, maybe Mama Noceda will bust out some fire glyphs during her adventures into edgy Narnia.

Oh, this is DEFINITELY a ship. ”Ett skepp kommer lastat!” as we say where I’m from.

This picture is so chaotic, I kinda love it. Willow and Hunter both scared, Gus screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing popcorn everywhere (which goes to explain why the room is empty…). Amity’s scared too and clinging to Luz, who in turn looks like she’s thinking ”Gee willikers, I get to hold Amity’s hand!”

Vee’s just chilling in the background. You love to see it.

A snapshot of Hunter sleeping, safe and sound, with his new favorite book and best friend to watch over him… but the past still intrudes upon his happy present, represented by the book on witch hunters and photograph of the brothers Wittebane.

…then we have these two drawings. Call them Doktor Sadness, because they’re here to bring down the mood.

I’d insult Philip some more, but honestly… I’ve kinda used up all my material. Maybe I could think of some more, but I need to have some stuff for when he inevitably makes his return in either or both of the coming two episodes.

And then Luz crying at the abandoned house… Just stab me in the chest too while you’re at it.

But fortunately, we end on a good note; the Exiles ready to return home, Luz ready to return to her second home, and Camila ready to venture into a brand new world.

Also, Vee in the background like Õ_Õ 

So yeah, that was Thanks to Them! Suffice it to say that I loved it. Is it everything I’ve ever dreamed of? Pretty much, yeah. I think that everything I realistically expected to happen in this episode did happen. Going into the next one, I expect to find out what happened to Eda, King and the others, as well as what The Collector is up to. There’s also the question of what Philip’s plan is going back to the Demon Realm, as well as how Luz will overcome her crushing feelings of guilt.

This has taken me a really long time and it’s getting late, so this is where I’m gonna have to say farewell for now. Hopefully the next two episodes will not take as long as this one. We’ll see. Until next time… take care of the planet Earth and remember that anything can happen in space!

[avatarmerida]

Second Chances

This is my first time not writing fluff but I had this idea and I didn’t know how to make it not sad so sorry if its bad or cringe or whatever but here ya go. Also loosely based on this by @ellimation because it made me emotional. 

---

The group had divided to search the land for any survivors or recognizable debris that could prove ushering. The Isles was in utter disaster, a barren wasteland where life once flourished. A heartbreaking sight. Hunter has been unusually quiet as he and Willow ventured farther than they intended to. Willow noticed he had been quiet for a while and turned to see he had stopped and was staring at something on the ground.

“What is it?” Willow asked, running over to his side.

“A time pool.” Hunter said softly, his eyes wide as though he was hypnotized.

“A time pool?” She repeated, carefully looking closer. “Aren’t those-.”

“Rare.” he said thoughtfully. “They’re really rare. And they never appeared in the same place twice. They’re unpredictable.”

“Well be careful,” she said with a nervous chuckle, placing her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want you to fall in.”

Hunter did not return her chuckle and did not move away from the pool. His arms were locked to his side, and his hands balled into fists. She could see the thoughts dancing in his mind.

“They’re really rare,” he continued, still entranced. “The odds of finding one without looking… without a power source are… unthinkable.”

“Hunter?”

“I... look the most like him.”

“What?”

“This pool... I can tell when it’s from. It’s a little before they got here. I’d...be about his age when they did...”

“Hunter I don’t like-.”

“I can take Caleb’s place,” he said as though he was still realizing it, not looking at her. “I can go back in time and stop Philip from staying here. I know where the portals are, I-I can make him go back to the human realm and keep him there, keep him away.”

“What?”

“I can take his place” he said. “Caleb can still come here and marry Evelyn and be happy and the Clawthornes will be fine but this way... he’ll never know. We can stop Belos before he can do any harm.”

“No, no,” said Willow, shaking her head. “What are you saying? Hunter, that's crazy. If you do that then you’ll be stuck with him, you’ll be stuck there... you... you won’t exist.”

“But neither will the coven system,” said Hunter, turning to face her, and taking her hands in his. “Neither will any of terror and injustice he created. All the people he hurt, all the families, all those palisman will be safe. You’ll all be safe. I’m a small price to pay for that.”

“No!” she said, grabbing his arm to pull him away, worried he really had been hypnotized. “No, we’ll figure out another way! We have to! We can’t-.”

“Willow, what are the odds that I not only stumble upon a time pool but one that can… it’s got to be a sign,” he insisted. “This is a once in a lifetime chance.  I’ll keep him away from the Isles. Everything can be the way it’s supposed to be and everyone can be happy.”

“Everyone but you,” she said quietly, and he did not deny it. “What about you?” She squeezed his hands and traced his scars lightly with the tip of her fingers, knowing that if she looked at his face she would be inconsistent. She needed to stay calm, make him hear her. She knew he was scared. She knew this wasn’t fair. This was too soon, too fast. Things were supposed to be getting better, that was supposed to mean for everyone.

“I’m not supposed to exist,” he said, not with his usual pity but as though for once it was finally a positive thing. “It took me a long time to come to terms with that and be fine with existing anyway. But how could I live with myself knowing I could’ve saved so many people?”

“But what if it doesn’t work? What if he hurts you? What if h-he figures it out and he-.”

“Then at least I’ll know I did everything I could,” he said eerily calm as he tried to keep his voice steady. “I think I can handle him in his human form and the demon realm would be better without him, that’s all I know for sure. This is the only way things can truly be fixed and I’m the only one who can do it.”

“But I... but...”

“I don’t have much time,” he said, running his thumb over her knuckle.  “I can tell the pool is closing. I won’t get to say a proper goodbye, but tell the others... hm... well I guess it doesn’t matter does it? They won’t remember me anyway.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “I will.”

“Willow, that’s really sweet of you to say but it’s impossible.” He whispered, resting his chin on her head and returning her warm embrace, holding her like it was the only thing he knew how to do. What a fool he was to not have done this more often.

“I don’t care. I’m stubborn. I’ll remember you.” She insisted as the floods broke free and her grip on him tightened, unable to fathom how she would ever let go. “And you’ll remember me. You’ll remember all of us, okay? Captain’s orders.”

“I could never forget you.” He said, as his own tears began to stream down his face. 

“What if I-?”

“You can’t go with me,” he said, reading her mind, hating that it was the truth. “I can’t ask that of you.”

“You don’t have to ask me,” she said quickly. “I want to. Time travel is weird so I’ll be okay later on or whatever. If it’ll all get fixed anyway like you said then at least we can-.”

“I don’t know everything that'll happen, but I know I could never deny the world of Willow Park.” he said, taking her face in his hands as she struggled to look at him through foggy glasses.

“But you’ll be all alone,” she said, her voice breaking. He had been alone for too much of his life. How was this fair?

“But you’ll be safe,” he said simply, wiping a tear from her eye. She could tell by the look in his eyes that there was no talking him out of it. There was pain and fear but most of all there was love. Her heart sank, knowing this was the way he always looked at her, knowing she could do nothing to prolong it. Knowing he’d never look at her this way again.

“Oh my Titan, I don’t want you to remember me like this,” she said, taking a deep breath and brushing her tears away with the palm of her hand. “My hair is a mess and my eyes are all puffy, and I can’t-.”

“You’re beautiful,” he assured, softly placing a kiss on her forehead. “You’ve always been beautiful, and you’ll always be beautiful.”

“Stop it,” she said sniffling, her voice hoarse and weak. “Stop being so wonderful. I wanna be mad at you so I’ll miss you less.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

“Let me give you something,” she said, trying to catch her breath, feeling like she wanted to throw up and pass out and punch something all at once. “Hold on... where is it? Oh, I should’ve brought my photo album, I should’ve.. I wish I…here.”

With shaking hands, she handed him a single photo she had been keeping safe in her pocket. She placed it in his hands and covered them in hers like she was sealing a prayer. They were supposed to have filled albums and albums with photos together; silly, blurry, bright photos and they had only gotten one summer.

“It’s my only copy so you better take good care of it, okay?”

She was talking about so much more than just a photo.

“I promise.” He tried to smile but his eyes betrayed him. She took one hand and placed it to his cheek and he covered it with his own, his hands cold against her warmth. Her mind raced with a million reasons he should stay, but she knew he was as smart as he was determined. He had a gift for starting over, he was resourceful. 

“Are you sure you can’t wait for-?”

Knowing he had few answers and even less time, he did the only thing he was certain about and pulled her to him and brought her into a clumsy, desperate kiss. The timing, the setting, the circumstance were nothing like he envisioned but when had time ever been on his side? He heard her inhale sharply, as she steadied herself to return the kiss, angling her face to bring him closer. She had too much to say to him and words simply weren’t enough. He lifted her feet off the ground, and his heart or whatever beat inside his chest for her spun as she cupped his jaw and let out a bittersweet, elated gasp. If by some miracle, some trick of fate she did end up remembering him, he didn’t want to leave her with any uncertainty about how much he felt for her.  

When he pulled away, the world was dull again. She pressed her forehead to his and knew by the sadness in his hazel eyes that he did not have it in him to utter the words ‘goodbye.’ She would not make him. She would not truly say goodbye to this kind, weird, wonderful boy who deserved the best of every realm. Instead, she clung to his scarred and blistered hands, and memorized the way their fingers intertwined so perfectly together. When he finally let go for the last time she wondered if her hands would feel empty forever. 

He kept her in his sights until the very last moment as she tried with all her might to hold back her tears, lest her watery eyes construct her last view of him. The seconds felt like hours, the world around them so silent Willow could feel her heart beating in her ears. She waited to wake up, she needed to wake up.

“Take care of him, Flapjack.” she whispered. 

Then, the whole world went black.

---

“Wow, you really did it huh?” a familiar voice marveled. Hunter didn’t need to question where it was, he knew the Collector existed on a plain and level all his own. Time was an illusion, a mere game to him. Surely, he had seen things more surprising than Hunter’s sacrifice. Yet he seemed genuinely unable to comprehend it all.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” Hunter sighed, looking at his reflection in the water. How ironic would be fulfilling Belos’ wishes after all, becoming Caleb and allowing his betrayal to go unnoticed. 

“You’re really staying?” the star child continued, his voice echoing off the clouds overhead. “Even though you’re never gonna see them again? Never ever! You know that right?”

“I know.”

“Even the plant girl!” he said, becoming more and more flabbergasted. “And you liked her a lot.”

“I did.”  said Hunter as he began to walk, knowing he had much to do to make sure it wasn’t all for naught. “I still do.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“I guess... because she have me a second chance,” he said, taking the photograph Willow had given him carefully from his sleeve. He remembered the day well:

Willow had become obsessed with roller-skating, instantly great at it and she had found him a pair of his won at the thrift store and offered to teach him He was less gifted, but still determined to impress her. She had taken his hands in hers, guiding him down the hill by the house, taking delight in any amount of progress he made. The mere fact he didn’t fall filled her face with pride and made Hunter a blushing mess. 

He had gone a whole five feet without holding Willow’s had for support and she was bursting with excitement called for Luz to bring out her camera to capture the moment. At the mention of more spectators, he lost his focus and his balance followed suit as he struggled to stay upright. Willow rushed to his rescue, reaching out to catch him but he took her down with him. Of course, this was the moment Luz snapped the photo: Hunter, utterly terrified, clung to Willow as they hurdled  toward the pavement. He had knocked off her glasses in the process, preserved floating over her head. In the moment, Hunter had been mortified as she had ended taking a majority of the blow hitting the ground first to protect him. But despite knowing what was about to happen, she looked elated, her head thrown back as she laughed wildly.

Hunter remembered begging them to throw away the photo, but Willow adored it. She promised it would stay out of the album, but she would keep it with her always. “As blackmail,” she had decreed, scrunching her nose. How could he have ever wanted such a treasure destroyed? He lovingly tucked in into his sleeve, the same place Willow had kept it, careful not to bend it.

”And... I wanted to give her one.”

[moonmeg]

What do you think of Belos? How do you think his story is going to progress?

Honestly I hope he dies ❤️

I think 400 years is enough, buddy, you're literally walking around as a goop/mud monster and decomposing by the minute. You've been to earth again. You stayed there for MONTHS. You most certainly saw the changes. And you still think you're going to be celebrated as great witch hunter? Bestie, you're delusional 😭🤚

No, seriously. I've said this more than once but while I absolutely hate him as a character himself, I love him as villain. He's one of my favorite Disney TVA villains. He's brilliant at that.

The thing with him however is... as much as I detest him, I pity him.

Being born in the 1600s is already a hard blow

He was only a little kid when he lost both parents and had only his older brother to care for him and love him unconditionally. If you research the Puritan way of living, it's safe to say his childhood was just sad and bland. He was able to escape that grayness of life with his brother. Caleb went against the rules and carved his baby brother a sword and mask, played witch hunt with him and just let Philip have fun. (Toys and fun are/were not exactly things Puritans looked upon fondly)

They didn't fit in with their new home. All they had was each other. Caleb was his last family and possibly his only friend. They were outcasts but they were outcasts together, dreaming of a better future together.

Caleb was always there. He was always around. Until suddenly he wasn't anymore. His brother had followed someone else into another world. Into a world that consits of everything they wanted to destroy. Caleb wouldn't go there on his own. Not in his right mind. He wouldn't just leave. He must've been forced to go by a third party.

Philip wants to get his brother back. He wants to save him, return with him home. He follows him, searches for him desperately and possibly was close to encountering death more than once during that search. And when he found him, his brother wasn't in distress. His brother was happy. He had lived there without any difficulties all this time.

He lived there with his lover.

His witch lover.

His pregnant witch lover.

Caleb chose to come here and chose to stay. He chose to leave Philip behind. Voluntarily.

Was it fully rational or more a reaction in rage? Planned or fully by accident? Whatever it was, Philip found himself having made a terrible mistake. His brother was dead. Stabbed by Philip's own hand. In attempt to save Caleb and get him back, he lost him entirely and can never get him back. But he needs Caleb. That's why he came to this world in the first place: to bring him back to earth and continue working towards their goal of being great witch hunters. But that can be no more. Philip no longer can have his brother by his side in this mission. Unless...

He creates a new Caleb. A living being that is almost identical to his deceased brother but one that doesn't betray him. A better Caleb. The perfect Caleb. He attempts the perfect Caleb once... twice... again... and again.... and again. They keep betraying him. They keep going against him. They never stay on his side. Just like the actual Caleb has done years before.

"Philip" slowly gets banned from one town to the next, all around the Boiling Isles, so he needs a new name.

He can't continue his mission as human, so he pretends to be one of the witches. He cuts his ears to resemble the pointy witch ears, he finds a way to live long past behind what is a normal human life span and he finds a new ally to help him achieve his goal. As "Belos", his newfound alias, he goes around the Isles playing the role of a prophet. He uses what to the people of the Isles is the equivalent of a god to get the witches and demons on his side. The way they have been living is wrong, he preaches and in his favor "helps" them to live like the Titan intended. He gains more and more influence and power until he becomes Emperor and nobody doubts him. The only doubts come from his right hand men: the replicas of his long dead brother.

He keeps getting rid of them and creating new ones, always hoping this time it's a different outcome. This time Caleb won't betray him.

At this point, he has lost sanity and is beyond all savings.

His body is barely human anymore, yet he keeps telling himself he still is human. That his home might have changed over the course of centuries doesn't strike his mind. He's determined to finally succeed in a 400 year old mission he created with Caleb, whatever it may cost.

The Philip he once was, died along with his brother.

And he is so close to reaching his goal and still fails. But he's still determined to keep going. The image of his brother is haunting him, silently watching almost emotionless at what he's become.

But Caleb has no right to be mad. He's the root to this all. Had Caleb not left, had he stayed with Philip on earth, all this wouldn't have happened. It's Caleb's fault. It's all Caleb's fault.

His life could almost pass as Greek tragedy and I love that. I love the complexity of his character. It's amazing.